Government supported industry-university research centers: Issues for successful technology transfer

In order to increase the use of federally supported research and development to increase U.S. industrial competitiveness, new partnerships are being developed among the research producers, users, and funders. This paper summarizes the evolution of federal technology transfer models with particular attention to university-industry cooperative research centers sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The advantages and potential problems associated with such centers are presented and the implications for technology and innovation are discussed.     

Inward international licensing by US-based firms: Trends and implications

This paper reviews US statistics on international transactions in royalties and license fees to provide insights into the inward international licensing of technology by US-based firms. The data and their limitations are described. Trends in the data suggest that a change is occurring in the balance between outward and inward licensing of technology by US-based firms. The statistics are consistent with the idea that such firms have a diminishing technological lead and that technology importing, in addition to technology exporting, is becoming important to them. The new situation raises issues for corporate strategy and technology management, as well as for government policy. Mary Ellen Mogee is president of Mogee Research & Analysis Associates, a consulting firm in Great Falls, VA. She established the firm in 1985, after 15 years in policy-analysis positions at the National Science Foundation, the Congressional Research Service, the National Bureau of Standards, and the Patent and Trademark Office. She also teaches in the Management of Science, Technology, and Innovation program in the School of Business and Public Management at the George Washington University. Mogee received her Ph.D. in political science and an MA in science, technology, and public policy from George Washington University.     

Leader-member exchange,trust, and performance in national science foundation industry/university cooperative research centers

This research examines the relationship between leader-member exchange, trust, and research center performance with satisfaction and commitment to the research center in all Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers supported by the National Science Foundation in the United States. University administrator ratings of center performance fully mediated the positive relationship between leader-member exchange and trust and the extent to which university administrators reported satisfaction with and commitment to the Industry/University Cooperative Research Center that reported to them. We discuss the manner in which leadership relationship and research center performance mutually reinforce each other and the importance of this in creating and transferring technology in industry-university research partnerships and the implications of this for science policy.     

Performance measures as forms of evidence for science and technology policy decisions

Amidst current widespread calls for evidence based decision making on public investments in science and technological innovation, frequently interpreted to imply the employment of some bundle of output, outcome, productivity, or rate-of-return measures, the promises and limitations of performance measures, singly or collectively, varies greatly across contexts. The promises reflect belief in, scholarly research supportive of, and opportunistic provision of performance measures that respond or cater to executive and legislative branch expectations or hopes that such measures will facilitate evidence-based decision-making. The limitations reflect research on the dynamics of scientific discovery, technological innovation and the links between the two that even when well done and used by adepts, performance measures at best provide limited guidance for future expenditure decisions and at worst are rife with potential for incorrect, faddish, chimerical, and counterproductive decisions. As a decision-making enhancement, performance measurement techniques have problematic value when applied to the Big 3 questions of U.S. science policy: (1) what is the optimal size of the Federal government’s investments in science and technology programs; (2) the allocation of these investments among missions/agencies/and programs (and thus fields of science); and (3) the selection of performers, funding mechanisms, and the criteria used to select projects and performers.     

我国地方科技立法比较研究——以江苏省为例

地方科技立法属于国家科技法制建设的一个重要方面,具有区域性、地方性,对国家科技法律起着细化、补充和完善的作用。我国现行的地方科技立法存在着诸多问题与缺陷,主要表现为可操作性差、体系松散、冲突、重复、落后于科技发展等。这些问题对于完善江苏省的科技立法具有很深刻的启示。因此,建立完善、先进的科技法律体制是实现江苏省经济发展的必由之路。     

Developing and transfering technology in state S&T programs: Assessing performance

By 1996, all states had established a program focusing on the development of technology and technology-based economic development. As more agencies move to performance-based management, state S&T programs are increasingly under pressure to report outcome and output data for their programmatic activities. This paper presents findings on the extent and use of performance measurement and evaluation efforts in state science and technology programs. The 1995–96 study was based on a series of eight case studies and a mail survey of science and technology-based programs in all fifty states. The findings show that three groups of measures emerged as most important to state science and technology programs: employment-related data, leveraged or matching fund data, and anecdotal evidence. State programs are especially pressured to report short-term outcomes, yet show economic benefits. Many state program managers find value in performance data—the reseacch shows that the primary reason that many states assess their performance is the value of performance information as a management tool. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations here are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the National Science Foundation. This research was supported under NSF Grant No. SBR-9422433 from the Program of Research on Science and Technology and through the second author's NSF Independent Research Plan. The research benefited greatly from the contributions of two tireless research assistants, Arlene Allen and Michael Turton.     

Innovating from big science research

Increasing scientific knowledge demands technological breakthroughs beyond industrial innovation activity. Using this as a basic motivation for R&D collaboration between industry and big science, the paper reports a systematic approach to exploit the technological treasures embedded in experimental basic research. Based on a systematic technology breakdown and mapping of each technological trajectory with possible application areas, the method enables one to direct joint efforts on the most prominent research topics. Yet, to achieve this active partners are needed to enter the innovative conversion process to turn scientific ambitions into commercial products. Some industrial companies practicing active R&D strategy have realized this, and the paper outlines some cases where the product innovation, is not the only motivation to enter big science collaboration. Putting all this together, and knowing the severe financial and political pressures the major scientific research labs are facing, the paper defines the practical procedures needed to initiate the process which eventually leads to better technological return from fundamental research.     

Exploring public values implications of the I-Corps program

This paper examines how the concept of public values can be operationalized in an ongoing public initiative to stimulate innovation in an emerging technology. Our study focuses on Innovation Corps (I-Corps)—a program initiated in 2011 by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to accelerate the process of commercializing science-driven discoveries. The I-Corps method has since spread rapidly across multiple US agencies. Separately, there has also been heightened attention to the early anticipation and mitigation of the implications of emerging science and technology. Drawing on the case of nanotechnology, the paper considers how public values related to nanotechnology commercialization can be integrated alongside the fast start-up procedures embedded in I-Corps. We use a public values framework to pose societal impact questions that can be probed in parallel with the current I-Corps process, highlighting values such as identification of societal problems that the technology might potentially address; types of potential customers likely to be overlooked; groups who might oppose the application as well as those who might support it; and potential environmental, health, and safety risks. The paper discusses the challenges of adding specifications related to equity as well as safety in efforts to foster rapid commercialization and considers how these can be integrated within the I-Corps approach.     

制度变迁中的创新精神探析

科技实力在很大程度上代表着一国综合国力的大小和它在世界上的地位,因而技术的创新力对国家的发展起着举足轻重的推动作用。但是,科技的发展从来都不是自发的,没有代价的;技术的创新也只是狭义的创新;制度变迁和制度的框架决定着技术发展的空间。制度的创新才是广义上的创新,是制度变迁的根本动力,因而也是技术创新的原动力。只有激发整个民族的制度创新精神,才能谈得上技术的创新和国力的增强。     

Gender Patterns of Research and Licensing Activity of Science and Engineering Faculty

In this paper we extend our earlier work on science and engineering faculty disclosure and licensing activity to examine a characteristic of faculty ignored in our earlier work – the gender of faculty in our database of over 4500 faculty at 11 major universities. Not surprisingly, women comprise only 8.55% of the faculty in our sample. They are most represented in the biological sciences and the women in the sample are more likely to be younger faculty. The most striking result from highlighting women in the sample is that women are less likely to disclose inventions than men despite the fact that there are no significant differences in publication patterns. While disclosure activity varies by gender, we find that the disclosure activity of women and men converges over the period of our sample.JEL Classification: J16, L3, O3Financial support was provided by National Science Foundation (SES 0094573), the Alan and Mildred Peterson Foundation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.     

地方科技进步立法与科技创新规律的协调研究

科技创新对社会的发展起着巨大的促进作用,地方科技立法要促进科技创新的发展必须遵循科技创新规律,符合科技进步的内在要求。但目前地方科技立法与科技创新规律不协调的状况依旧存在,地方科技进步立法须作进一步完善,须充分发挥科技人员的积极性,加大投入,促进科技成果的转化,鼓励可持续创新。     

Industry interactions with federal laboratories

This article is based on two surveys of US firms, all of them members of the Industrial Research Institute, on their interactions with university and federal laboratories. It covers mainly the federal part of the responses. Although questions remain to be answered (a followup survey is planned for mid-1991), the firms had a surprisingly high level of awareness of and interaction with the federal laboratories. Many of them plan to increase their external R&D funding. We believe the firms including such external resources in their strategic planning will achieve stronger competitive positions than those that do not. Director of the Graduate Program in Technology and Science Policy. Previously, he was principal scientist and group manager for Industrial Policy and Planning at the Solar Energy Research Institute in Golden, Colorado. He also served as policy analyst with the National Science Foundation's R&D Assessment Program and, subsequently, as acting leader of the Working Group on Innovation Processes and their Management. Roessner received degrees in electrical engineering from Brown University and Stanford University, and a master's degree and Ph.D. in Science, Technology and Public Policy at Case Western Reserve University. His research interests include the diffusion of technological innovations, national technology policy, government-industry relationships in technology development and use, the management of innovation in industry, and indicators of scientific and technological development.     

关于吉林省科技人才开发的基本构想

科学技术是第一生产力,而科学技术的直接创造者和载体是各级各类科技人才,因此,对科技人才的开发与利用十分重要一、芩文在分析目前吉林省科技人才队伍存在的问题及原因的基础上．结合吉林省振兴吉林老工业基地的实际以及对人才的需求情况．提出了吉林省科技人才开发的基本构想。     

Industry as a mechanism for urban technology transfer

This paper is based upon research done under the National Science Foundation sponsored study The Role of Industry in Urban Technology Transfer: A Comparative Profile. The purpose of the research is to investigate specific industries that serve the urban market of local governments. The research aim is to develop an understanding for the barriers and incentives that affect industry's ability and desire to produce and market technological innovations for cities.     

R&D consortia: Impact on competitiveness?

This research examines the impact of research and development (R&D) consortia on the competitiveness of American companies. It also concludes that since passage of the 1984 National Collaborative Research Act, which allows companies to jointly perform research, only a few R&D consortia have been formed and they do not have much impact on companies through applications of new technology. It is suggested that R&D consortia may have more impact on firms that are catching-up technologically or for which the particular research is tangential to their core business. He holds a Ph.D. in public policy from the George Washington University (1988), and has worked for the National Science Foundation, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, and the National Academy of Sciences. His interests focus on technology, economic competitiveness, and government policy. He has recently published on these topics in Research Policy (August 1990), and Policy Studies Review (Spring 1991, forthcoming).     

Into the Thick of It: Methodological Issues in Studying the Drug Trade in the Golden Triangle

This paper explores research methods used in a study about a sensitive topic in a sensitive area—the drug trade in the Golden Triangle. It covers issues such as entering and exiting the research site, obtaining approval from the people in power at the research site, recruiting and training research staff, developing and testing interview protocols, locating the subjects to be interviewed, and conducting the interviews. This article also discusses problems encountered in the process of conducting the study and the limitations of the research project. Finally, it relates what lessons have been learned that are of general interest to researchers studying similar topics under comparable conditions. Support for this research was provided by Grant SES-0095929 from the National Science Foundation. The opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policies and views of the National Science Foundation.     

The future of forensic and crime scene science. Part II. A UK perspective on forensic science education

This paper builds on the views presented by the author at 'The Future of Forensic and Crime Scene Science Conference'. Forensic science has become an increasingly prominent area of science within the last 10 years. This increasing prominence together with popularity in the subject has seen the number of undergraduate students studying forensic science related courses at UK Universities increase rapidly in just 5 years and there are no short term signs of this trend reducing. In 2005, there were 450 courses with forensic in the title offered by higher education institutes. Although the forensic community has expressed its concern that job prospects for these students wishing to pursue careers as forensic scientists will be limited numbers of students undertaking science courses have still increased. The increase in students studying forensic science comes in an era of decreasing science numbers in higher education with the potential to produce high calibre science graduates with sought after skills in critical thinking, analysis, interpretation and communication. Technology has continued to advance at a similar pace providing those responsible for managing crime with a need and opportunity to identify and predict new and future applications of science and technology; not just in reducing and detecting crime but also in predicting how technology will be used by criminals in the future. There is therefore a need for forensic science users, providers and educators to identify the knowledge and skills required by forensic scientists and crime investigators of the future to ensure that technology continues to be used and applied to its full advantage. This provides universities an opportunity to contribute to the development of both the practice and practitioners of forensic science. This paper outlines the current issues facing universities in relation to forensic science and identifies their future role in providing high quality relevant courses for future forensic practitioners; developing current forensic practitioners through their participation in applied research, short courses, conferences and qualifications linked to professional practice; and supporting and developing the practice of forensic and crime scene science, through the identification, engagement and dissemination of pure and applied research.     

The impact of “empirical facts” on legal scholarship and legal research training

Lawyers have traditionally viewed law as a closed system, and doctrinal research has been the research methodology used most widely in the profession. This reflects traditional concepts of legal reasoning. There is a wealth of reliable and valid social science data available to lawyers and judges. Judges in fact often refer to general facts about the world, society, institutions and human behaviour (“empirical facts”). Legal education needs to prepare our students for this broader legal context. This paper examines how “empirical facts” are used in Australian and other common law courts. Specifically, the paper argues that there is a need for enhanced training in non-doctrinal research methodologies across the law school curriculum. This should encompass a broad introduction to social science methods, with more attention being paid to a cross-section of methodologies such as content analysis, comparative law and surveys that are best applied to law.     

Commercialization strategies of technology: lessons from Silicon Valley

Science and technology incubators play an increasing role in contributing to the entrepreneurial, venture and economic development. This paper is concerned with the strategies for technology commercialization and supports of new venture development. The study has applied the cluster-based strategies of the US Silicon Valley to the case of Thailand. The findings highlight the role of the National Science and Technology Development Agency’s Science Park and the National Innovation Agency’s Innovation Park in supporting technology commercialization and development of the national innovation system. The future challenges to create effective system for entrepreneurial development and implications for entrepreneurial business management are discussed herein.